One Foot in the Black examines wildfire in the West, and how these stories—stories of history, of culture, of landscape, and of climate change— serve as a warning for our communities. This podcast is not just the past story of fire and how we got to a place where fire is destroying communities, but a story of hope—a story of a future where fire is not so destructive. It is also a story of how climate change is remaking the rules, and how our future is tied to indigenous fire use. One Foot in the Black uses a combination of narratives and interviews to tell this story, utilizing a multitude of voices from different sectors of society on the frontlines of fire and climate change.
This episode of One Foot in the Black looks back through the series and summarizes what we’ve learned about fire in the era of climate change from voices on the front lines—from the cultural fire practitioners, wildland firefighters, fire scientists, and policy makers. We also look at how fire is portrayed in the media and how we deal collectively with climate grief in the aftermath of fires.
In this episode of One Foot in the Black, we look at the policies being presented to address the wildfire crisis impacting the West. We talk to policy makers and fire professionals about what it’s going to take to change our relationship to fire on the landscape. We discuss several wildfire bills that have been introduced, both on the state and federal levels, and we talk to wildland firefighters about ways to address issues on the frontlines of this growing problem.
In this episode of One Foot in the Black, we look closer at how climate change is impacting fire behavior in the West, and how we’re living through an era of Megafires. We talk to fire professionals and climate scientists about the increasing intensity of fire behavior, and ask the questions: how are we going to manage fires in the era of climate change? And what does climate adaptation look like in the context of fighting fire or preparing for fire season?
In this episode of One Foot in the Black, we examine communities at risk. We dive into the Wildland Urban Interface and look at ways to protect our homes, our communities, and each other. We ask the question: how can we better plan and prepare our communities for wildfire and climate change while also learning how to build back better when we are impacted by wildfire?
In this episode we look to the past, stepping back to learn about the role fire has played in shaping the landscapes of the West and how humans co-existed with fire before modern wildfire suppression. Are we willing to learn from indigenous tribes about how to use fire? How can indigenous tribes be supported in traditional burning on their ancestral lands?
The first episode of One Foot in the Black introduces you to the four root causes we’ve identified that increase the frequency and severity of wildfire in the West, and we begin to explore the solutions to living with fire in the era of climate change.
One Foot in the Black is a six-episode podcast telling the story of fire in the West—how the landscape has been shaped by fire, how climate change is remaking the rules, and how our future with fire is tied to the past.